San Diego has many top-notch musicians in its geographic
boundaries, but few could match the schedule of drummer Larry Grano. A multiple
threat, Grano is a mainstay of the San Diego music scene, a larger-than-life
musician known for his percussive skills, soulful voice, and razor-sharp wit.
Currently drumming for the Eve Selis Band, Grano is one of the town's musical
unsung hero's, rarely in the spotlight but responsible for laying down the
rhythm at countless great nights of music in San Diego over the decades.
He was born
at Mercy Hospital in October 1961, growing up in the Allied Gardens area and
attending Patrick Henry High, class of 1979. As it is with most children, music
wasn't Grano's first choice for an afternoon's activity. "In our neighborhood
we had about 20 to 30 kids," he recalled. "Baseball, football, basketball,
hockey – we played everything." Grano did own a snare drum, but sports took
precedence over music. "After realizing I wouldn't be pitching in the World
Series, I went back to the drums," he joked. Tom Boyd of the legendary local
band Listen was giving lessons at a local music store and Grano's father signed
him up.
He
considers the "melting pot" of his family's listening habits to have been an
influence. His personal musical influences, however, are harder to pin down. He
includes the Beatles, Elvis Costello, and Charlie Parker as favorites, but
adds, "that's a big question. Do you mention Mozart and leave out Beethoven?
Buddy Rich but not Max Roach? If there's a performance on a track that gets me,
that's an influence. Local or international, I don't care who it is. It could
be the Beach Boys' backgrounds on [Elton John's] "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on
Me," or one note by Thelonious Monk while his foot is scraping the floor . . .
or someone at Lestat's." He does consider his instructors/ teachers key to his
success, citing Boyd, Malcolm Rosenberger, Enola Williamson, Mike Holguin,
Manny Cepeda, and Cliff Almond.
He first
began performing in Jr. High, alongside guitarist Craig Goldy and bassist Greg
McKinney. "Both much more advanced players. A failed attempt at the talent show
broke that up," he said. "I think the band that won played Chicago's ‘Color My
World.' They had a ringer on flute," Grano laughed. Since then he has been a
perennial on local stages. In the '70s it was with Wizard. During the '80s he
performed with Artisan, 3-D, and Pranx. From 1990 to 1995 he had a stint with
Private Domain. Meanwhile 1996-2005, he was a member of Rockola. Currently he
can be found drumming with Selis as well as Mark DeCerbo and Four Eyes.
More
recently, he has become one of the area's top session drummers. "I've been in
groups all my career, playing both covers and originals," he pointed out. "When
I left Rockola, I made a decision not to join a band for a while and test the
waters of independence. For me, it's made a great difference."
Initially
the session world was not easy to break into. "Early on, as I grew in
confidence with my playing, I went to some studios to look for work," he
recalled. Grano found that it was a very small pool of talent that did the
lion's share of the work. "Every place I went, I got the same answer, ‘To get
studio work in town, you'll have to get rid of two guys – Jim Plank and Duncan
Moore.'" Grano did eventually pick up the odd production work, but it was a
Selis session with acclaimed producer Alan Sanderson (Rolling Stones, Burt
Bacharach, Elton John) that got the ball rolling.
"Unlike
most drummers that just lay down a groove, Larry's performance usually comes
from what the vocalist is doing. He has a great understanding of playing to the
artist's feel, lyrics, and vocal melody, probably due to the fact that he is an
accomplished singer himself," said Sanderson. "I don't think there are any
styles he can't play. I would compare him with the great studio drummer Jim
Keltner; this community is very lucky to have him."
Grano's
work can be heard in the Reelin' in the Years production of Soul to Soul on
Atlantic records as well as albums by Dove Linkhorn's What's in a Name? and
Four Eyes' release Sweet on the Vine. This year will see Grano appear on
numerous releases, including new discs from DeCerbo, Eve Selis, Mark Jackson,
Carol Ames, Anthony Molinaro, and Paulo de la Rosa. The bulk of his time away
from the studio is spent with the Eve Selis Band, with whom he's now toured
England twice, and the side project Cactus, Twang, and Whyte. "They're great to
work with, easy-going," he opined. "The music is the focus."
Unusually
for a drummer, he can also be found fronting a band in the funk and soul group the Soul Persuaders.
Grano actually came to the group late in their career. The combo was formed by
well-known local musicians Mark and Steve Siers. "They had a great group in
town, along with their brother Ken," he explained. "[But] the clientele for
parties or dance clubs demands a certain play list. When the Siers put together
the Soul Persuaders, it was a chance to play stuff they wanted to play."
Grano
joined up with the band at local watering hole Jose Murphy's. "Like other
musicians, I would go and sit in. I was always looking to drum, but Steve
Siers, aka Sonny Drysdale, would give me a pep talk and have me sing."
Initially, he wasn't very confident in his performances. "Once I was so
nervous, I put my jacket over my head and the mic just so I could get through
the song," Grano laughed at the memory. "I was later told that it helped their
food sales when I covered up."
Always up
for a challenge, Grano also keeps the beat for the Coronado Big Band. "I joined
a year ago last August. With encouragement from SDSU drum instructor Mike
Holguin, I've been playing a style that I've enjoyed, but never tackled," he
explained. Occasional gigs with Four Eyes, alongside former roommate Mark
DeCerbo, continue.
Aside from
those four groups, he considers himself a free agent. "I have mostly clients.
But aside from these [groups] that I've mentioned, I'm in a band called Larry
Grano," he quipped.
It's hard
for him to pick a favorite show in his career as performer, but concerts with
Rockola, backing music notables such as Denny Laine (Moody Blues/Wings), Joey
Molland (Badfinger), and (Peter) and Gordon Waller are high among them.
Meanwhile, near the top of the list during his tenure with the Soul Persuaders
is a show with sax legend Tom Scott sitting in. "That was a great six-minute
music lesson," Grano laughed. Close to his heart, however, is the time Was Not
Was keyboardist Sir Harry Bowen spent as a member of the Soul Persuaders. "That
came about through Dr. Feelgood and the Interns of Love," he recalled. "He was
friends with one of their singers and came in and saw our band. Being a fan, I
told him, ‘Anytime you want to sit in.'" To Grano's surprise, Bowen took him up
on the offer and for the next year would drive down each week to perform with
the band at Dick's Last Resort. "I learned so much just from watching him on
stage," he enthused.
In addition
to his drumming duties, Grano is a music teacher, giving private lessons and
teaching at the Paul Green School of Rock. "Passing on what was given to me is
a great way to say thank you to everyone who took the time to help me," he
said.
After more
than 30 years as a major part of San Diego's music scene, Grano still considers
himself lucky. "Is it still fun? I'm blessed," he mused with a smile. "After
all, music is all I've done for a living since Patrick Henry High said ‘get
out!'"